Art, Expression, and Community

The KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum stand with our partners in the Spencer Museum of Art, The Commons and the Hall Center for the Humanities in their support of freedom of expression in academia and the contributions it brings to our society. Like them, we remain committed to engaged and inclusive dialogue with our communities. The following statement was distributed on July 13 by the Spencer Museum and The Commons:

We respect and welcome continued discussion of the artwork “Untitled (Flag 2)” by Josephine Meckseper, now on display inside the Spencer Museum of Art. Exhibition of the artwork, part of the Pledges of Allegiance project hosted by the Spencer Museum of Art and The Commons, will continue to fulfill our commitment to supporting art, ideas, and dialogue.

The Pledges of Allegiance series is organized by the nonprofit Creative Time, which asked 16 artists to create works, representing current issues of importance, to be exhibited and discussed at public and private institutions nationwide. Eleven of the 16 works have been displayed in front of The Commons on a new flag pole that was erected specifically for the exhibit. Support for this project and the associated events has come from private funds.

Themes of the artworks in the series include: peace, community, fear, cooperation, friendship, surveillance, government representation, and, among others, what it means to be an active citizen. The final work in the Pledges of Allegiance series is Meckseper’s abstract representation of the United States divided into two parts and a printed graphic of the American flag. Citing the diverse histories and perspectives of people in this nation, Meckseper uses the work to call attention to the nation’s divisions at a time when unity is needed.

Working with the Office of the Provost and other partners across campus, the Spencer Museum of Art, The Commons, the KU Natural History Museum, and the Hall Center for the Humanities will offer programs in the coming weeks and months that explore the issues and the responses raised by the artworks.